


Midterm Crisis

by talkcummingtome (TalkCummingToMe)



Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: Eventual Smut, Fluff, Law School AU, Light Angst, M/M, Mutual Pining, Teacher-Student Relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-22
Updated: 2017-09-29
Packaged: 2019-01-04 02:13:11
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,873
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12159504
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TalkCummingToMe/pseuds/talkcummingtome
Summary: Sonny needs help writing a paper; Barba reluctantly agrees to help. AKA the law school au that nobody asked for.





	1. Help Wanted

**Author's Note:**

> This wouldn't get out of my head so I had to write it.

"Well, that's all for today, everyone," Barba said, hoping his voice was loud enough to be heard over the sounds of chairs scraping and papers rustling as his students prepared to leave. "Have a good weekend, and please don't forget that your term papers are due first thing Monday."

  
He sighed tiredly, turning to the dry-erase board, and began to remove the things he had written during the day's lecture. He was so intent on his work that he didn't notice one student had stayed behind: a certain Sonny Carisi, otherwise known as the bane of his existence and secret love of his life. Leaning casually against the desk and idly flicking through his phone, he couldn't help laughing as Barba visibly jumped upon noticing his presence.

  
"Ah, Mr. Carisi," Barba said, fighting to stay professional as the other man's blue eyes met his own. "What can I do for you?"

  
"Professor," began Sonny, worrying his lower lip in nervousness. "It's this paper; I know it's due on Monday, but I just can't find a topic."

  
"But you've had three weeks to write it!" Barba spluttered, raising his eyebrows in confusion. "How on earth do you not have a topic?"

  
"Well, you know I'm taking, like, three other classes this semester," he replied. "And they're all very demanding..."

  
"Demanding or not, Mr. Carisi," Barba returned, his green eyes dark with annoyance, "the fact remains that you have had three weeks to finish this paper. Furthermore, I told everyone, including yourself, at the beginning of the semester that I don't give extensions or give extra credit."

  
Sonny sighed; this was not going as he had hoped it would. He couldn't help it if his law school courses weren't going as well as he hoped. He was only human, after all. When he mentioned this to the professor, something inside him must have softened because he smiled more gently than Sonny had ever seen.

  
"All right, you've made your point, Mr. Carisi," he answered, silently hoping he wouldn't live to regret it. "Even though I stand by what I said before, I'll agree to help you."

  
"You will?" Sonny smiled, a small flicker of hope reflecting in his eyes. "Thank you so much, Professor. You won't regret this, I swear."

  
"That remains to be seen, Mr. Carisi," was his curt reply, jotting down his address and phone number on a scrap of paper. "That's my address and phone number; come by tomorrow and we'll sort you out."

  
Sonny could hardly believe his luck. He had been nursing a crush on his professor since the beginning of the semester, and here was the perfect chance to get to know him better, even though it was just help on a paper. What he didn't realize was that his professor was having similar thoughts. Ever since laying eyes on the young man, he had felt an unexplainable, and probably very inappropriate, desire to be close to him...love him...devour that perpetually-smiling mouth...whoa, Rafael, stop that, he mentally chided himself. He gulped, hoping his sudden peak of arousal would go unnoticed, as Sonny took the slip of paper and folded it carefully.

  
"Well, um, I guess I'll see you tomorrow," he called, walking backwards towards the door.

  
"Yes, tomorrow. Around noon?" Barba answered, voice cracking and hoping Sonny didn't notice. God, he thought, I'm definitely going to hell for this.

  
Sonny nodded. "Tomorrow at noon."

  
Then he was gone, probably to his next class, Barba guessed. He sighed deeply; what on earth had he gotten himself into? Offering help to a student, especially one whom he'd secretly been harboring feelings for? Barba collapsed into his chair with a small groan; he had a headache, and to make matters worse, his dick was absolutely begging for attention. He sighed, reaching into the drawer where he kept a bottle of scotch especially for stressful days like this, and took a long swallow. Tomorrow would certainly be interesting.

  
\----

  
The next day, Barba was jolted out of a deep sleep by the sudden vibrating of his phone on his bedside table. Rubbing his eyes sleepily, he grabbed the phone. It was Sonny, texting him to say that he would be there within the next hour and asking whether he'd like something to eat. He texted back that he was fine; this was a study session and not a date, Mr. Carisi.

  
When he didn't get a reply, he looked at the clock and groaned. It was already eleven o'clock in the morning and Sonny was due to get there at noon. He jumped up, hurrying into the shower and screaming as the cold water hit him. Afterward, he looked through his closet, momentarily wondering why he was bothering. He had told Sonny it wasn't a date, and yet...some small part of him hoped the man would make a move. He didn't think it was healthy to be holding in these feelings, and since there was really no reason why they couldn't date as long as they disclosed with the dean, there wasn't really anything stopping them. Except for Barba's own stubbornness, that is. And there was also the chance that Sonny was straight and/or not interested...no, stop that, he scolded himself.

  
After selecting a simple grey shirt and pairing it with a metallic blue sweater vest and black pants, he took a deep breath in hopes of steeling his nerves. It felt as though thousands of nervous butterflies had taken up residence inside his body, and Barba couldn't ever remember being this nervous about something so simple. You're just helping a student with a paper, he reminded himself again, and that's all. He was jolted out of his thoughts, however, by a sudden loud knocking at the door.

  
"Hold on!" he yelled, rushing to the door to let Sonny in.

  
Sonny’s hands were filled with takeout bags; it looked as though he had ignored the reply from earlier and gotten food anyway. He smiled at his professor by way of greeting, the strap of his backpack sliding as he entered.

  
"I know you said not to get food," he apologized. "But we might be here awhile and we'll probably get hungry."

  
"Good point," Barba replied. "Go and put those bags in the fridge and then we'll get started."

  
\----

  
After a few hours, they had really started to make progress on the paper. Sonny stood, stretching for a minute, arms over his head and shirt riding up slightly as his back cracked audibly. It was all Barba could do not to look at the little patch of skin his actions had revealed. He gulped, looking at his lap and fiddling with a pen as a way to hide the look of arousal that crossed his face. Sonny wasn't fooled, however; he knew exactly what was going on inside his professor's mind. Now or never, Carisi, he thought.

  
Taking a deep breath, Sonny plucked the pen from Barba's fidgety fingers, gently laying it on the table and looking into the other man's eyes. He could see the heat rushing to his cheeks as they both felt the surge of electricity between them. Barba turned away, feeling embarrassed and scared of rejection and arousal all at once and not wanting Sonny to see him so vulnerable.

  
"Look at me, professor, please," Sonny pleaded. "I'm just as scared as you are but I...I really like you. Have done since the first day of class."

  
That got Barba's attention. He looked at Sonny with such a fierceness in his green eyes that the other had to close his eyes for a minute. Then he kissed him, soft and tender and full of unspoken feelings. When they pulled apart, Sonny blinked a few times, hardly daring to believe it was real, and touched two fingers to his lips with a soft sigh.

  
"I really like you too," Barba whispered, stroking Sonny's cheek with one hand. "I'm sorry I didn't say so sooner...I was afraid."

  
"How long?" Sonny asked.

  
"First day of class, as well," he replied. "You walked in, all smiles, and something inside me was intrigued."

  
"I was so afraid you didn't like me," Sonny murmured, relieved to be getting everything out in the open. "I thought you hated me."

  
Barba opened his mouth to reply, but his stomach growled loudly. "Oops..."

  
"You hungry, professor?" Sonny asked. "You want me to heat the food I brought?"

  
"We've kissed," he replied, laughing softly. "Call me Rafael. And yes, please do."

  
"Only if you call me Sonny," the other said. "And okay. I'll be right back."

  
\----

  
Once the food was reheated and wine had been poured (Barba was really more of a scotch drinker but there were exceptions), they moved to the couch to eat. Barba found himself loosening up and feeling really comfortable around the man; it was as though they were cut from the same cloth. Later, as Sonny rose to leave, he turned, suddenly feeling shy.

  
"Um...I'll understand if you don't want to, but...um...you want to go on a real date sometime?" he asked, crossing his fingers.

  
"I'd love to," Rafael replied, smiling. "I'll see you on Monday, cariño."


	2. Of Confessions, Dating, and PDA

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew. I didn't think I was ever going to finish this chapter.

Last time:

  
"Um...I'll understand if you don't want to, but...um...you want to go on a real date sometime?" he asked, crossing his fingers.

  
"I'd love to," Rafael replied, smiling. "I'll see you on Monday, cariño."

  
\----

  
Monday's arrival happened far too slowly for either of their tastes. When at last it did, however, Sonny walked into class with a wide grin and a fire in his blue eyes that had definitely not been there before. Barba smiled to himself, for he knew exactly why Sonny was so happy at such an ungodly hour; why he had agreed to teach a class at eight-thirty in the morning was still a mystery to him. Barba was not a morning person by any means, to the point where seeing him without coffee made people wonder if he was ill in some way.

  
"Ah, Mr. Carisi," he greeted him. "I hope you have not forgotten your paper."

  
Sonny smiled tiredly, carefully placing a stack of papers on the top of the pile. "I have it right here; stayed up till four this morning finishing it, but it's done."

  
"Good," Barba replied. "See me after class, though, there's something I want to discuss with you."

  
Sonny gulped and nodded as he went to take his seat, wondering if he was going to be told that Barba had kissed him as a joke or for some other sick reason. He wasn't stupid; there was definitely a spark between them, but you could never tell what Barba was thinking. Barba didn't smile a lot, although he was very emotional in other ways, and Sonny longed to make him shed that cool exterior. He shook his head after a moment; it wouldn't do to get hard during class, and he was already having trouble paying attention thanks to the sweater vest said man was wearing. Something about him dressed in one never failed to drive Sonny wild with desire for the older man.

  
To both Barba's and Sonny's displeasure, class that day seemed to drag on for several years. When the last of the other students had left, he leaned against the desk much like he had that past Wednesday, pretending to flick through his phone but really staring at Barba's ass. Sonny longed to squeeze it and see if it was really as firm as it looked.

  
"I can feel you staring, cariño," Barba's voice was low and throaty, almost a growl, as he turned from the board. "Love my ass, do you?"

  
Blushing deeply, Sonny opened his mouth to reply, but no words came out because then he was very thoroughly kissed. Barba's lips were every bit as soft as he remembered, and there was a faint taste of that morning's coffee and something else, something unique to him.

  
"Do you have any idea how long I've wanted to do that?" he growled, pulling away to stare the taller man in the eye. "Since you left on Saturday."

  
And then he was kissed again. Sonny lost it; the man had a very talented mouth...and oh god...was he rolling his tongue in his mouth? He moaned into his professor's mouth, one hand going into his hair and the other sliding down to squeeze his ass at long, long last.

  
"Mmm...Sonny, you gotta stop that, cariño," he gasped. "I want to...mmm...take you up on that offer."

  
"What offer?" Sonny teased, trailing kisses down the man's neck and not realizing how his words sounded to the other. "Surely you can't want to take me on a date?"

  
Barba frowned, not liking the hint of self-loathing that had crept into the man's tone. "Cariño, cariño...don't talk that way. I can't bear to see you like that..."

  
"But I'm half your age, Rafael. Why are you so interested in me?" he sighed, pulling away to look into the man's eyes.

  
"We're both consenting adults, Sonny," he replied. "But even so, your age is not important to me."

  
Sonny smirked. "I've always had a thing for older men..."

  
"I'm flattered," Rafael replied. "So, uh, how about that date?"

  
"Oh, how I wish I could take you somewhere right now," Sonny murmured, pecking his lips lightly. "But I have another class soon."

  
"I wish that could happen, too," he replied, holding Sonny tightly and wishing this moment would never end. "I can meet you later, though, after both of our last classes."

  
"Okay," Sonny agreed, reluctantly releasing the man. "I've only got two more today. I'll be done by this afternoon and we can get an early dinner."

  
"Sounds good, cariño," he agreed. "Text me the details, yeah?"

  
Sonny nodded, knowing he had to run or he'd be late for his next class. "I'm gonna be late, Rafi, but I'll see you later."

  
Then he turned, picking up his bag on the way, and rushed out the door without another word.

  
"Rafi," he repeated, smiling at the empty room and remembering how it had rolled off Sonny's tongue so easily.

  
As promised, Sonny texted him with directions to meet him outside and then they'd eat at a nearby restaurant as soon as he had finished work. Rafael smiled, knowing he had something to look forward to, and sent back a reply telling him he'd be there.

  
\----

  
Once classes were over for the both of them, they met up and headed to the restaurant. Sonny, always the more perky of the two, was talking away about his last class of the day. Rafael nodded in all the right places, but he was tired and Sonny could tell, so he fell silent after a bit.

  
"Sorry Rafi," he apologized. "Everyone says I'm far too chatty."

  
"I happen to like chatty, though," he reassured him. "As long as it's you."

  
Sonny blushed. "Thanks, I think."

  
"Oh, that was definitely a compliment, cariño," Rafael laughed, squeezing the other man's hand.

  
Once they had been seated and placed their orders, the talk drifted to their families. Sonny, it seemed, had come from a large family whereas Rafael had not. Upon learning that he was very close to his mother, however, Sonny smiled. He hadn't really thought of Rafael as a mama's boy, but it fit him surprisingly well.

  
A little while later as they were eating, the conversation turned to less important subjects. Perhaps the moment Rafael liked best was during dessert when Sonny got chocolate sauce on his nose and cheeks. When he licked it off, Sonny let out a soft moan, pushed their half-eaten dessert away, and started snogging Rafael right then and there in front of at least a hundred witnesses. Neither of them could bring themselves to care who might see; they were already in far too deep as it was.

  
"Mi amor...cariño..." Rafael moaned, his hot breath ghosting over Sonny's lips delightfully.

  
Sonny pulled away, eyes round. "Rafi...did you just..."

  
"Unintentionally tell you I love you?" he supplied, blushing deeply. "Yes, I suppose I did."

  
"I love you too, Rafi," Sonny answered. "I don't care if this is only our first date; you make me feel things I'd only ever dreamed of."

  
"I really like it when you call me that," Rafael admitted. "What do you say we pay and get out of here, hmm?"

  
"I think that is the best plan I've heard all day," Sonny smiled. "Come home with me?"

  
"Of course, cariño," Rafael answered.

  
Once they had paid, they stepped into the night and hailed a cab to Sonny's apartment. In the safety of the elevator, they started to snog again; Rafael squeezing Sonny's ass and Sonny moaning in surprised delight. He loved being groped, and Rafael was only too happy to oblige. At the door, Sonny wondered if he should invite Rafael in. It was late and cabs were expensive, after all, but Rafael declined, for he had grading to do.

  
"Thank you for tonight, mi amor," Rafael murmured, pecking the man's lips. "I'll see you on Wednesday."

  
"It was my pleasure," Sonny replied. "I can't wait."


End file.
